Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

What is Gamma Knife Radiosurgery?

Gamma knife radiosurgery is a computer-guided therapy that delivers targeted radiation to specific locations of the brain, with the goal to treat brain tumors. Gamma knife radiosurgery is an outpatient procedure and is nearly painless, as it does not require an incision.

Gamma knife radiosurgery is performed for the most common type of brain metastes, which affects nearly one-quarter of cancer patients. This procedure also treats primary and benign brain tumors, trigeminal neuralgia and arteriovenous malformations.

Dr. Moza, a Westlake Village neurosurgeon, performs this procedure regularly at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks. Gamma knife radiosurgery may offer some advantages versus the conventional neurosurgery. Some of these advantages include:

A minimally invasive procedure with little pain, as there is no incision

Can reach some tumors that are too deep in the brain where conventional procedures will not work

Rarely requires any overnight stay in the hospital

Safe and effective treatment with a low rate for complications

Lower risk than the conventional neurosurgery

Little or no post-treatment discomfort or pain, depending on the patient

Generally a rapid return to normal daily activities or routine, without the need for physical therapy treatment or rehabilitation

Gamma knife radiosurgery is also covered by most insurance companies and Medicare

Potential Side Effects

As with any surgery, risks do exist with gamma knife radiosurgery. You can discuss these risk concerns with Dr. Moza during your visit. He will explain to you the potential risks of gamma knife radiosurgery. You may experience the following:

Slight discomfort, headache, pain the day of or day after radiosurgery. You may take non-aspirin medications, such as ibuprofen, Tylenol or Advil.

Possibility of infection, if the area around the head frame pin sites are not kept clean following the procedure.